From Emden and East Frisia goods reach the Czech Republic in 1–2 days – Prague is about 740 km away, Brno about 950 km, so most shipments from the North Sea coast are unloaded on day two.
Car plant, port, shipyard and wind: what moves out of East Frisia
The north-western tip of Lower Saxony looks rural, but there is heavy industry at the mouth of the Ems. Emden has a car plant and a port where new cars are shipped out; Papenburg builds large ships; Aurich and Emden make components for wind turbines. For Czech buyers and suppliers the picture looks like this:
| Place | Industry | What travels to the Czech Republic or back |
|---|---|---|
| Emden | car plant | parts from Czech plants to the line, empty racks and returnable containers back |
| Emden – port | vehicle handling, general and project cargo | goods discharged from ships and terminal equipment on pallets and in crates |
| Papenburg | building large ships | components and interior fittings for the yard, large pieces as special transport |
| Aurich, Emden | wind energy | switch cabinets, gearboxes and smaller parts on a trailer, oversize with permits |
| Leer, Norden | tea, food, shipowners | tea and food on pallets, spare parts for ships |
| Emsland near Papenburg | growing media and peat | light, bulky bales – priced by loading metre |
The long run south-east: from the Ems to the D8
From Emden the truck does not go via Hamburg but straight across Germany:
- A31 along the Ems via Leer (Ems tunnel) and Lingen to the A30 at Schüttorf,
- A30 past Osnabrück to Bad Oeynhausen, then the A2 via Hanover to Magdeburg,
- A14 via Halle and Leipzig, A4 to Dresden and A17 to the Breitenau – Krásný Les border,
- D8 via Ústí nad Labem to Prague; for Moravia and Slovakia on along the D1.
For South and West Bohemia the route via Kassel, Würzburg and Nuremberg to Rozvadov can be better. German truck toll and Czech motorway charges are included in the price we quote. Because of Germany's Sunday ban over 7.5 t (0:00–22:00), we plan Emden collections so the truck is in the Czech Republic by Saturday at the latest.
North Sea weather and the islands
Strong gales and fog are common on the coast. An empty or lightly loaded curtainsider is sensitive to strong crosswinds, so with light cargo we allow for possible delays. Ferries serve the islands (Borkum from Emden, Norderney and Juist from Norddeich); goods from the islands we take over on the mainland at the port.
How we organise transport from Emden
Parts for the car plant's line run to time windows, and returnable containers travel back the other way, so a Czech Republic – Emden – Czech Republic round trip is well utilised. Oversize components for the shipyard or wind energy are handled as special transport including permits. A full truck takes 33 euro pallets (13.6 loading metres, about 24 t); groupage starts at 1 pallet. Send us the loading place, the address in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, the number and size of packages and the date – you get a price within 30 minutes in office hours and usually a vehicle within 24 hours of confirmation.
More pages: Freight from Germany · Bremen · Osnabrück and Emsland · Hamburg
Supplying parts to the car plant in Emden and getting empty racks back? We plan regular round trips in both directions – see regular transport, or drop us a line.
Related guides: Automotive freight · Machinery transport · Importing goods from the EU